Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Book Report: Seriously Underrated Hats

Milwaukee Brewers (1978-1993). This hat is delightful on a few levels. OK, just one level but work with me here. The way the "M" and the "b" form the baseball glove is beyond brilliant. And the royal blue and yellow piping give this lid a vaguely aristocratic feel that can not be ignored. If you're curious, the logo was designed by Tom Meindel, an Art History student at the University of Wisconsin—Eau, so there is some serious Wisconsin lineage at work here. I always figured it must've originated from a clever Salvatore Romano-esque character in Chicago or something.

Seattle Mariners (1993-present). Granted, the nautical theme is a bit cliche but I dunno, something about this hat affects my inner core. It's modern, clean looking, modest yet powerful. Unlike the Mariners for most of their 30+ years. When Jay Buhner was "droppin' trou" and rockin' this logo in the mid-1990s, it was probably the closest that an MLB player ever came to resembling an actual longshoreman on the field. Past, present or future.

Detroit Tigers (1924-present). An underrated classic to be sure, this stylized "D" conveys the complexity of life in Detroit in a way few upper case letters can. Make no mistake, when you saw Jack Morris trotting in from the bullpen with this lid upon his skull, you knew that it was only a matter of time before he aiming a forkball at your crotch. Also, I loathe the orange version of this logo. It's horrible.